Cross-Project Links to Entire Work Packages

[Brian Lukanic]

Can somebody tell me if there is a better way to do this than I am doing it,
and/or confirm the limitations I am experiencing:

We keep a single schedule that contains a slew of similar work packets.
Imagine a cost center that manages their own queue of widgets, with each
widget having four tasks as members of a summary task.

Individual PMs then build out their own Project schedule and cherry-pick
from the schedule managed by this cost center. What I tell them to do is set
up a cross-project relationship to the four tasks (and summary task) that
applies to them.

This works fine. The cost center is able to see "ghost successor tasks" of
all of the work packages they manage, and each PM is able to avoid having to
re-task work packages that are already managed by the cost center.

So here's my question: Let's say that the work package that's managed by the
cost center GROWS by a few lines: A summary task with 4 child tasks turns
into 6 tasks (such as a software development that begins to track individual
defects.) The cost center manages all of this activity in their schedule,
which is great. But the PM of the linking project would then have to add
those two new subtasks.

Is there any way for me to set it up such that the project PM cross-links to
the general work package, and if the parent has two more lines show up, then
they dynamically appear as two new ghosts in the linking schedule? Can I tell
my PM to cross-link to a RANGE of subtasks, so that if new tasks are added by
the linked schedule then the range will dynamically grow on the linking
schedule?

I would hate to have to tell me PMs, "do your cross-linking, but then also
constantly check the cost center's schedule to see if new child tasks are
added to your work package, and then you must manually cross-link them to
keep in synch." Obviously I want to avoid double work. As much as I hate to
do it, it sounds like the simpler way would be to just have my PMs cross-link
ONLY to the parent tasks, and if the duration extends or the date changes due
to additonal tasks they'll see the delta from the linked parent task; they
just won't be able to see from within their own schedule that it was due to
the addition of a bunch of new tasks by the cost center. But I really want
the PMs to be able to link not only to the deliverable but also to the
individual chidren that make up that deliverable.

I hope this makes sense. If there's some completely different way to tackle
what I want to do I'd appreciate any suggestions. I am aware of the
Deliverables feature but I am not a big fan of it.

 

[Jack Dahlgren]

Brian,

There is not any existing way to do what you are asking for (dynamic
creation of cross project links).

One alternative is to insert those other projects in the project. That would
make all the tasks visible, but could cause other problems if they somehow
opened the project wifh permissions to write to it.

I'd question the need for the PM to manage work that is already managed by
the cost center. Is having those tasks visible merely interesting to the PM,
or is it necessary. If the PM is not going to take action (and doesn't have
authority to take action) based on those individual tasks, then there
probably isn't a need for them to see them in the schedule. In other words,
from your description, management of that work is the responsibility of the
cost center as is providing a forecast of when the work is complete. This can
be accomplished with a simple milestone.

If the tasks are really under the management and direction of the PM then
they should be in the PM's schedule and not in the cost center.

But I can certainly see the desire to make more information visible to the
PM. I just don't think that a multitude of cross-project links is the best
way.

-Jack